London's historic Fleet Street set for huge transformation

Design options for Fleet Street, once home to the UK’s major newspapers though with a heritage stretching back centuries, have been published by the City of London Corporation inviting feedback to shape the final scheme.

Alderwoman Martha Grekos, Chair of the Fleet Street Area Working Group, said the ambition is “to create a greener, safer and more welcoming environment for everyone who uses this important route”.

From the Ye Old Cheshire Cheese pub, considered by some to be the oldest in London, to Dr Johnson’s House, Fleet Street is a popular destination for tourists and locals alike.

It is also the host of a number of large forthcoming developments, the most sizable being the Corporation’s major Police HQ and courts building at Salisbury Square.

The City is expecting daily footfall in the area to increase by around 40,000 people as a result, hence the need to upgrade the streetscape.

The public consultation, which was launched on May 27 and is to run until July 27, outlines two different options.

Both propose increases to space for people walking, wheeling and cycling, though with different suggestions regarding traffic management.

The first suggests changing how motor vehicles travel through Fleet Street, including an eastbound restriction except for buses, taxis and cycles east of Salisbury Court, while the second maintains all through traffic.

The £9.5 million project is being led, funded and delivered by the Corporation with support also provided by the Fleet Street Quarter Business Improvement District (BID).

Once the design is finalised the Corporation is aiming to start construction in late 2027/early 2028.

James Hennebry, Chief Executive at Rosslyn Coffee which has a cafe on Fleet Street, said: “Rosslyn’s sites are listed amongst the world’s leading specialty coffee shops and this is an incredibly exciting period for one of London’s most iconic streets. Improved access and enhanced dwelling areas will only serve to benefit businesses such as ours.”

Alderwoman Grekos said: “Fleet Street is one of London’s most iconic and historic streets, and this project gives us a unique opportunity to reimagine it for the future. The design options we are bringing forward reflect valuable input from local businesses, residents and stakeholders, and demonstrate our ambition to create a greener, safer and more welcoming environment for everyone who uses this important route.

“I would encourage all those with an interest to take part in the consultation and help shape the next chapter for Fleet Street.”